Mohammed Shami opened up on the loss in the final of the World Cup 2023 to Australia and said it was a bad day for the team.
India’s quest for a third Cricket World Cup title ended in heartbreak on November 19, 2023, as they were defeated by Australia in the final.
Despite a strong start and an impressive winning streak throughout the tournament, India struggled with the slower pitch conditions in Ahmedabad and tactical missteps.
The middle order faltered, and while KL Rahul scored a half-century, India could only set a target of 240. Australia’s Travis Head led a successful chase with a century, securing Australia’s sixth World Cup title. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Tournament, but the loss left the Indian team and fans devastated.
Shami spoke during Agenda Aaj Tak, and opened up about the final loss to Australia. The pacer said that there is a lot of responsibility while playing for the country and they don’t usually show how much pressure they’re under.
Shami said that the squad had a clear mantra heading into the final that they were in it as team regardless of the result. The pacer said that in the end it was a bad day for the side and luck weren’t with them in the end.
“Everybody feels pressure. When you are playing for your country, there is a responsibility that you have. Everyone feels pressure, everyone needs to plan and exceute. However, we don’t show how much pressure we are under. Yes, there are times when players don’t perform up to their best and it involves a lot of factors.”
“A lot of people were saying that we chose the wrong pitch. A few others said we should have scored more. Yes, a lot of people watch and make these claims. But when we get on the field, we are the ones who are dealing with situations.”
“From Day 1, we made it clear that if we win, we win together as a team, if we lose, we lose together as a team.”
“When we reached the final, we had one mood in the dressing room: ‘We are in this together’. No one will be blamed. We were planning to give our best.”
“You can call it a bad day, the luck was not our side,” said Shami.
